With 18 main elemental types, there are no shortage of Pokémon affinity combinations. You might assume that, over the course of 30 years, the monster collecting series has tried every possible combination of those types by now. I mean, wasn’t the last true new Pokémon type all the way back in 2013? Surely, after so many installments and remakes of the mainline series, the well of Pokémon types has run dry.
Surprise: it hasn’t.
There are actually ten type combinations that we’ve never seen in a Pokémon game before. Some of these absences make sense. Combos like Normal/Ice, Normal/Bug, Normal/Rock, and Normal/Steel might as well just be the secondary type. ‘Normal’ adds nothing to those descriptions. You can’t fully rule out that they’ll ever happen, though: both Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark are the oxymoron that is Normal/Ghost.
But there are five mash-ups that are more reasonably up for grabs in Pokémon Winds and Waves: Ice/Poison, Ground/Fairy, Bug/Dragon, Rock/Ghost, and Fire/Fairy. I know, some of these inclusions don’t sound right. I could have sworn I’d seen a Rock/Ghost type before — there’s a haunted flying coffin, for crying out loud.
So, how likely is it that we’ll see any of these new type combinations? Starter-wise, we’ve got the fiery Pombon as a potential candidate for the fabled Fire/Fairy combo. Based wholly on the start of its evolutionary line, I’m skeptical that Pombon will eventually give us the rare monster type. Little about Pombon’s design comes across as magical, sparkly, or pink, which are characteristics typical of fairy types. But there’s also no telling what direction the designs could go.
Back in 2013, I would never have guessed that Pokémon X and Y‘s Fennekin would end up looking like a regal witch. Then again, based on Delphix’s vibe, I would have expected it to be a Fire/Fairy! But as Charizard fans know, a Pokémon’s design can be deceiving when it comes to typing. And if Popplio proves anything, it’s that Game Freak can and will push evolutionary lines into unexpected places. We can’t discount Pombon’s paintbrush-like tuft of red hair, which might tease a more whimsical evolutionary line than you’d expect.
Beyond its scarcity, one of the reasons fans keep crossing their fingers for a Fire/Fairy monster is that the duo could make for a strong Pokémon. As our friends at Game Rant point out, a Fire/Fairy Pokémon would have only a handful of weaknesses but a whopping 8 resistances. A Fire/Fairy would be super effective against seven different types, and outright immune to at least one. Assuming the creature has good base stats, a Fire/Fairy pairing could be monstrous. I wouldn’t get too excited, though. As cool — and potentially overpowering — as a Fire/Fairy Pombon could be, Game Freak notoriously loves to saddle us with Fire/Fighting final starter evolutions.
Given the theme of the games, it seems reasonable to expect that the legendaries will feature some combination of flying or water types over a type mix we’ve yet to see. There’s reason for hope, though. Through the initial Winds and Waves trailer, we can spot biomes like jungles and volcanic caves. These locations could be strong candidates for introducing us to Bug/Dragon, Ground/Fairy or perhaps some of the other unused types.
Perhaps my imagination is too limited here, though. For all we know, Game Freak will throw a curveball at us and debut an entirely new type in Pokémon Winds and Waves. (At least one fan is convinced we’re getting a sound type.) I’m not sure if that fringe theory will pan out, but I am compelled to remind people about the old leaks that accurately predicted what kinds of games Pokémon Winds and Waves would be.
Back in late 2025, leakers alleged that Game Freak’s internal documents referred to a new type of monster called Seed Pokémon. “A baby Pokémon of the Seed species that can be found in resort areas …. it is a rare sight in this land, and no one has ever seen it in its evolved form. When it travels to the island where the main legendary resides, it begins to evolve. Its evolved appearance is said to have infinite variations.”
The caveat here is that Pokémon Winds and Waves is still in production, and the documents that got leaked were never meant for public consumption. There is a high chance that, even if Game Freak was toying with something called Seed Pokémon, the studio could decide against it. Game Freak could make Seed Pokemon work differently than described. The term could refer to a temporary state like Mega Evolution rather than a permanent affinity. Seed Pokémon might happen eventually, but in another game altogether. But if “infinite variations” come to pass, maybe the days are numbered for that long list of unused Pokémon types.